Amnesia
by ProtoChan
Summary: While fighting Kurapika, Kuroro falls down a cliff and gets amnesia. Feeling bad for the new Kuroro, Kurapika takes him under his wing until he recovers. NOT related to The Apartment and NOT a Kuropika pairing, but friendship and a closer look at Kurapika
1. Chapter 1

**Setting: A wasteland on the outskirts of York Shin City, in close proximity to the rocky slope of a small mountain. It is night time.**

The battle raged as the two nen titans of York Shin City fought. As they fought, one of the fighters, a blond man with chains on his hand and blood red eyes, known as Kurapika, stared with a hateful glance at the other. The other man, supporting black hair and a more conventional style of fighting who went by the name Kuroro, responded to his competitor's glare with a confident smirk. As their battle led them closer to the rocky slope, Kurapika worriedly thought to himself.

_Maybe this wasn't the best place to fight him._

But he knew he couldn't stop now and would have to relax and focus. Now was neither the time nor the place to worry about such things. All that he could do now was try to stay alive and if possible, knock Kuroro off the slope.

The two remained at it. Kurapika lost his footing on the edge of the slope but got it back a second later. Augmenting his attacks, the Kurata flung his chains at the Genei Ryodan leader like a whip.

Focused on avoiding and counter-attacking the Kurata's chain attacks, Kuroro was helpless to stop him from falling off the mountain's slope. Kuroro tried to grab on to a rock to support himself, but the rocks only injured his hands and slowed down his further attempts, until he hit his head and fell momentarily unconscious as he continued to fall down the mountain's slope.

Not believing for a second that his arch enemy would be killed in such a simple way, Kurapika headed for the tiny mountain's base, still having an angered face and red eyes. When he reached the base 10 minutes later, he looked viciously for the other man until he found him, lying unconsciously on the ground.

Kurapika walked over to him and checked Kuroro's arm for his pulse, feeling repulsed as he did so. _It's still beating, _Kurapika thought._ Damn it, how did you survive? Are you just invincible or something?_

Just then, Kuroro's arm moved as he moved his hand towards his aching head. Then, his eyes fluttered open. The Kurata's eyes instantly turned back to their natural color instantly upon seeing Kuroro's eyes. Kurapika knew just by looking in his eyes that this was not the same Kuroro Lucifer that he had just been fighting. He didn't even need to hear him say anything. This was someone else entirely.

"Where…where am I, and," he looked at his bleeding hands, "how did I get like this?" He looked at Kurapika, thinking that he'd probably answer. Kurapika's eyes further widened as he came to the only possible conclusion that he could concerning his enemy; amnesia.

Avoiding both of the man's questions, he responded, "Let's get you to a hospital. Can you walk?" Though his feet and legs were experiencing immense amounts of pain, he could at least stand up.

The only transportation that Kurapika knew that they had used was a car that he had earlier jacked in order to chase Kuroro to the wasteland in the first place. To get there, they had to walk back up the mountain and 2 miles. While walking, Kuroro lost his balance and leaned on Kurapika the rest of the way. On the way there, Kurapika hesitantly asked the man leaning on him something.

"You don't remember your name, do you?" The question was returned with a shake of the head.

They drove to the hospital in silence. Kurapika needed the quiet to think about what had just happened. One hour ago, he was fighting Kuroro to the death and now he was taking him to a hospital. The Kurata asked himself, _how does that make sense?_ Had Kuroro died at the base, Kurapika would have had considered it a victory on his part and a step closer to defeating the Genei Ryodan. If he had lived and still retained his memory, Kurapika would have still continued the fight that until God knew when.

But neither of those things happened. Instead, Kuroro Lucifer had amnesia, and here he was, being driven to the hospital and being driven by his worst enemy.

* * *

At the hospital, the doctor had inquired what exactly happened to cause such injuries on Kuroro. Kurapika had to lie and say that they were walking together on the side of the mountain and Kuroro had lost his footing and fell. After chastising Kurapika for the act, saying how it was a miracle that his "friend" had even lived, the doctor took Kuroro for a CAT scan, while Kurapika waited in a designated room.

Kuroro met with him after the CAT scan had finished. The two timidly waited for the doctor to call them back in. Feeling this was the best opportunity that Kuroro would get to find out answers, Kuroro turned to Kurapika and asked:

"Do you know?"

Being caught off guard as well as confused by the other man's vague question, Kurapika responded in such a manner:

"Excuse me?"

"While we were walking, you asked if I remembered my name and I said no. I was just wondering if **you** knew my name. If you don't, that's ok."

Kurapika had no idea how to respond. If he told him the truth, then it might start giving him clues to his identity, and Kurapika didn't know whether or not that was a good or bad thing. Also, Kurapika knew that Kuroro was wanted throughout York Shin City and the world. Kurapika did not want him, a man without a clue as to his identity to be chased throughout town for crimes that he never even knew were committed. On the other hand, Kuroro deserved to know his name. Knowing one's name is a basic human right, and **this **Kuroro was a human. He wished that he didn't have to answer the question but he knew that he did. After a few seconds of mulling, Kurapika decided on an answer.

"Your name is Kuroro, but I don't know your last name," Kurapika finally answered with light guilt. Kuroro figured that the guilt was caused more by the boy's lack of knowledge than anything else.

"What about you," he asked coolly. "What's your name?"

"Kurapika."

"Gentlemen," a nurse called before Kuroro could further his questions. "The doctor has the test results. He's in the third room on the right."

"Thank you" Kurapika said, as the two gentlemen headed to the room.

Upon arriving in the room, the boys saw a desk with two chairs meant for patients. The two sat down. A moment later, the doctor walked in.

"I'm sorry to say this, but," the doctor said as he began to face Kuroro, "you have amnesia. It will take months for your memories to return, considering that they return at all."

Kuroro's eyes widened. He knew he had amnesia, but he figured that it would return in a short amount of time. He was not prepared for this news. Kurapika looked at Kuroro's sad face, with a little bit of grief. It looked like he was going to cry almost.

When the pair left the hospital, they got back into the car. They sat in the darkness of the car for a few minutes until Kuroro finally spoke.

"What now?"

Kurapika thought to himself, _he's right. What now?_ What would he do with Kuroro? Certainly he was not going to bring him to the Genei Ryodan, but they were his family, or the closest thing that Kurapika knew Kuroro had to a family. Kurapika also know he couldn't throw him out into the streets of York Shin. He'd die in les than a day there in his condition. Also he thought about what his dead tribe would say at the idea of Kurapika caring for the man that assaulted them. He remembered his hatred for the man. He hated the smirks he gave him while battling, the sarcasm in his voice, and the pleasure he took in outsmarting the Kurata.

Then he remembered one important thing; this wasn't the same Kuroro. This wasn't the same man who violently slaughtered his entire tribe and made it a hobby to murder people and steal treasure. This man wasn't the emotionless sadist who ran the worst organization ever to have been created. This man hadn't done any of that. This man had a clean slate and was innocent. This man could feel scared, confused, and vulnerable. This man didn't want trouble and would try his best not to cause it. If this man knew his true origins, he'd probably be freaked out by it.

"Let's get some rest. We've both had a long day," Kurapika said with a flat tone of voice.

"Where do we live," Kuroro inquired further.

"Uhh… we don't have homes." The blond answered, looking down at the steering wheel.

"Are we travelers?"

"You could say that." _Well, _Kurapika thought, _it __**is**__ true. You travel to steal valuable artifacts and I travel to kill you and your entire organization._

Seeing that Kurapika did not want to be asked anymore questions, Kuroro decided to hold off until morning. They headed to a hotel and rented a room for the night. Before going to bed, Kuroro realized that there was one more thing that he needed to say.

"Kurapika?"

"Yea?" _Not another question_, the Kurata pleaded.

"Thanks for helping me through all this. You're a really good friend."

Kurapika instantly felt a ton of guilt being put on her already heavy-with-guilt heart.

"No problem." He had no idea how he was going to sleep tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

The next mornimg, upon awakening, Kurapika slowly thought up everything that had happened in the past 10 hours before even opening his eyes. _My arch enemy has amnesia and I'm the one who's taking care of him. Please tell me that it was just some bad dream, _Kurapika pleaded_. Please tell me that it was a bad dream._ When he opened his eyes, he realized that nothing had changed. He was still in the hotel room and Kuroro was in there with him. Upon pulling himself up against the bed post, he saw that Kuroro was already awake, not in his bed, but sitting in a desk in their room, apparently mulling over something. He turned his head to a digital clock beside his bed to see that it read 8:00 AM in big, green numbers and letters.

As he stepped out of bed and walked towards the desk to see the project that held Kuroro's focus, Kuroro pulled out of the desk and upon seeing the Kurata, Kuroro grew a light smile on his face.

"Good Morning Kurapika. Did you sleep well?"

"Uhh yea. What were you doing?"

Kuroro's gaze moved back to the desk. "Oh. I was just writing something."

"What exactly?" Kurapika pondered at the possibility that Kuroro was already getting back his memories. Considering everything that the Genei Ryodam leader **could** do, it wouldn't surprise him.

"Well… there's still a lot I want to know about myself and you." This interested Kurapika. _What could he want to know about me, _he thought. Before he could ask the question aloud however, Kuroro continued. "I made a list of questions I wanted to ask you." Kurapika saw that in Kuroro's hand was a notepad filled with Kuroro's questions as well as a pen. Kuroro was both nervous and determined. He really wanted to learn more about himself and his life. The four facts that Kurapika provided were simply not enough information for him. He also knew Kurapika was the only person that he could ask.

Kurapika's eyes widened. He knew that he had no choice but to answer the questions as honestly as he could, considering all that he's lied about so far. Besides, what else could he tell him? "Okay," the Kuarata said, as his eyes moved towards the list. "So, uhh, how many of those questions do you have?" Kuroro brought the list to his eyes and skimmed across the pages.

After a few moments of this, he responded, "about 25, 30."

_Oh God, _Kurapika thought. He felt a pain in his stomach. Though at first he believed it was a reflex at the idea of spending a day lying to Kuroro about his identity. He then realized that this pain was caused by something else entirely; hunger. Kurapika hadn't had so much as a morsel of food since early last night before pursuing the now amnesiac Genei Ryodan leader. He was famished and needed to get food. It was easy convincing Kuroro to go out to a diner as he himself was hungry as well and he figured that it would be a good chance to ask the Kurata boy his questions.

After getting dressed, Kurapika and Kuroro drove in the stolen car to the nearest diner. He did not worry about getting caught with the stolen car, as the York Shin City was known for its exponential crime rate. The majority of the time, the crime rate was much higher than the police could handle, or did handle. The police would not be sending alerts or reports across the city over a stolen car. They had more important things to worry about, especially this time of year when the York Shin City Auction was held and the city's crime rate skyrocketed.

The diner was unusually bright for anywhere in York Shin City. There were brightly colored tables, booths, and chairs all around. The diner's employees appeared genuinely friendly, smiling as the pair walked in and requested seating. The waitress sat them at a white and baby blue table and left them to look at their menus.

Upon looking at his menu, Kuroro noticed a problem. He tilted his head upwards from his menu to look at the blond on the other side of the booth. He then silently and awkwardly spoke to get the Kurata's attention.

"Kurapika?"

Looking at him with a confused face, Kurapika replied, "Yes Kuroro?"

Kuroro slouched in his seat, his hands in his pockets and his eyes not meeting the Kurata's gaze. "I don't seem to have any money on me. I don't suppose that you could …"

Before Kuroro could finish his sentence, Kurapika cut in. "Don't worry. I'll cover it."

Growing a small, innocent smile, similar to ones exchanged by friendly strangers, Kuroro said "thanks." Kurapika returned the smile with one of his own. Little did Kuroro know, his bank account was higher than Kurapika's 6-diget dollar account by at least 10 fold. Kurapika thought it as a little ironic that Kuroro Lucifer, the thief that had money well beyond the amount of any common person, was asking him for money. He dared not chuckle though. He did not want to give the impression that he thought Kuroro was inferior for this mishap. He also found it odd that prior to the chaos-starting fight, Kuroro was not carrying so much as a wallet with him. It left Kurapika to question the true intelligence of his rival. He did not even bring his cell phone if needed for contacting the rest of the Genei Ryodan with important news.

Suddenly, an old woman with curly red hair wearing an apron and shirt matching the booth they were sitting in walked up to them.

"Hello gentlemen. What can I get for you? Our special this morning is hot off the stove French toast and eggs."

The idea of a warm meal alone made both Kuroro and Kurapika order that, as well as a pot of coffee. As they waited for their breakfast to arrive, Kuroro pulled out his list of questions. Being reminded of the list's existence by its mere sight, Kurapika allowed him to start.

"Let's get started," the blond said, opting Kuroro to read his first question.

"Where did I grow up?" Kuroro figured that this was a simple question to begin with. He figured that if he was traveling with Kurapika, he might have told him where he was raised. Kurapika was personally glad that Kuroro had asked a question that Kurapika could answer, being completely honest in his response.

"The city of Ryuusei-gai." The blond responded shortly after. Not knowing the reputation of the city, Kuroro wrote down the city's name next to where he first wrote the question, and prepared himself to move on to the next one. Kurapika saw this, but felt it was unimportant and let Kuroro continue.

"When did we meet?" Kurapika was technically able to answer the question honestly, as he did remember both the day and location that they met in. As long as he didn't mention the circumstances of their meeting, a kidnapping with Kuroro as the captive, he would still be honest to the man.

"We met last year during the York Shin Auction at a hotel in the city." Kurapika replied.

"A year ago today?" Kuroro asked jokingly.

"I don't remember the **exact date**," Kurapika said. After thinking about it for a second though, he realized that it **was** one year ago **today** that Kurapika had first encountered the Genei Ryodan leader.

Before Kuroro could continue with his questions, the waitress reappeared with two smoking hot plates containing their breakfasts and two cups with steaming coffee.

While eating, Kuroro wrote down Kurapika's answer to his last question. This time however, Kurapika did not ignore it. Instead, he gazed over Kuroro writing in the notepad and asked:

"Why are you writing down my answers?"

Looking up, Kuroro said, "I figured, since I suffered a concussion when I fell, I might not be able to retain facts and memories for long periods of time. So, I want to make a log of all the things I learn about myself, at least for now anyway. I'll do this until I'm convinced that my memory retaining abilities are stable."

_Memory retaining abilities, _Kurapika thought. _Last night, you were a master at advanced Nen!_ Kurapika knew that helping Kuroro was going to be anything but a cakewalk.

After finishing their meals, they continued with Kuroro's questionnaire.

"Do you know where my family is?" Kurapika thought of the Genei Ryodan. To the old Kuroro Lucifer, they were basically his family. They respected him and were willing to do anything for him. Even if he wasn't their leader, they would still care about him. Kurapika knew however, that he could not mention his organization; otherwise, Kuroro would seek them out, putting himself and Kurapika in danger. Kurapika again had to resort to lying as the only possible solution.

"I'm not sure. You didn't really mention them a lot." As Kurapika uttered each word of his previous sentence, he could feel his guilt slowly returning. Kurapika's answer depressed Kuroro. He didn't like the idea of having little to no connection with his own family. His former self took his family for granted, and now, he'd be lucky to ever see them again, considering he didn't know where they even lived. Maybe he would ask Kurapika to go to Ryuusei-gai with him in search of them. Despite this inner conflict, Kuroro wrote down the response and proceeded with his next questions

"Where are my belongings?" Kuroro saw that Kurapika had a bag where he carried important documents, namely his Hunter license, money, and clothing, while Kuroro had nothing to call his own, besides of course the hotel's pad and paper that he took possession over.

_And here come the lies. _"Well… a few days ago, you were robbed of your possessions while we were sleeping. We couldn't find the people who stole your stuff."

"Oh" Kuroro said, with the same disappointment on his face as he did after Kurapika answered his last question. He felt weak and unable to support himself, even when he had his memory. How could he possibly support himself now?

Not wanting to see Kuroro in this upset state any longer, Kurapika added, "we also said that this week, we'd go out and buy new clothes, my treat." The comment made Kuroro feel a lot better and made him smile at Kurapika.

"Thanks Kurapika. It means more to me than you'll ever know." When Kurapika looked into Kuroro's eyes, they looked like nothing he's ever seen out of Kuroro before. They were friendly and genuine, with no nasty purposes behind them.

For the remainder of the morning and until 1:00PM, Kuroro and Kurapika continued to play their game of questions and answers, respectively, at the diner. After, they headed back to the hotel and retired to their beds. Both needed a little rest before deciding on their next actions to take.


	3. Chapter 3

Kurapika was the first of the two to wake from their nap. Not wanting to wake Kuroro up, he laid quietly in his bed, as he still needed to decide upon some things involving their situation.

Kurapika ultimately decided on one thing; that he and Kuroro needed to leave York Shin City as soon as possible. With the Genei Ryodan rummaging through the city, no doubt looking for their Danchou, both men were in danger every second that they stayed in the city. Since Kurapika had already told Kuroro that they were travelers, it would be very easy convincing him to leave the city, pretending to use it as a means to re-accustoming him to his "ordinary life."

_Great, more lies._

Kurapika turned in his bed to face his new traveling companion. His hair had been down ever since last evening, blocking the tattoo on his forehead from being seen. He figured that if Kuroro asked him about the tattoo's origins, he'd just say that he had the tattoo since prior to their first encounter and that he never explained when or why he got it. 

Kurapika then sighed, starting to wonder just what he was doing. _This lying is killing me, _the Kurata thought. _I'm an honest person. But, what else can I do? I'll tell him the truth, but not now. I've got to tell him when it's safe, and when he's ready to hear it. Otherwise, I'll be setting him up for disaster. Why'd Kuroro Lucifer, of all people have to get amnesia? And why did __**I **__have to be the one who found him?_

Yawning, Kuroro pulled himself up from his bed. Looking over to Kurapika's bed and seeing him awake, the boy greeted him.

"Hey."

"Hey," the blond responded.

"So," Kuroro awkwardly asked. "Any idea what we're going to do now?"

"Yes." Kurapika stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "I think that we should leave York Shin City." Kurapika's decision caught Kuroro off guard. He had no objections, not that he could think of any, but it was a very sudden change. _Oh well,_ Kuroro thought. _I guess this is just part of a traveler's life. _

"When are we leaving?" the amnesiac asked.

"We will take a train out of the city tonight."

"Oh. What about your car though?" Kuroro's question made Kurapika internally hit himself on the head. _How could I forget about the car? _Kurapika's worries quickly faded as he fabricated a response.

"The car is a rental. We took out the car thinking that it would get us around the city quicker. Too bad we didn't think about York Shin's traffic this time of year." Kurapika figured that a joke was the best way to light up the mood as well as make his story seem more legitimate. Luckily, Kuroro believed his story with no problem. After all, Kurapika was the one who was there for him and supporting them through this troubled time. The least he could do was giving him his absolute trust.

Kurapika continued his sentence. "In any event, I'm going to return the car. Stay here while I return it, ok?"

"Sure Kurapika." Concerned, Kuroro added a question. "How will you get back?"

"I'll walk back. The place isn't that far from here anyways. I'll be back soon." With that, the Kurata left in a huff.

Kurapika left the hotel and brought the car to a parking lot underground of the city. It was a common area for cars. He left it in an open space and left the key in the ignition, wanting to make sure that the person could at least get back their keys and use their vehicle, should they find it. Kurapika was at least glad that he could do one righteous thing in the midst of all the lying that he was doing.

After getting a quick bite for dinner, the duo set out for the train station. Upon looking at various towns, Kurapika chose one that he knew was small in reputation, exactly what he needed. The town's name was Ninsaino. Through his intuition and knowledge of the town in books he read, he also knew that the area was safe, having one of the continent's lower crime rates. Kuroro took an optimistic look to the town they were traveling to.

Kurapika walked up to the ticket booth, with Kuroro quickly following behind, as to avoid getting lost in the crowded train station. Kurapika purchased both tickets, no questions asked by Kuroro, who wouldn't have been able to pay anyways. Afterwards, they both sat down on a bench, sitting closely side by side, waiting until the train would come. Kurapika stared at his watch and realized that it would be another hour before their train arrived, leaving the pair with nothing to do until then.

A few minutes later, an old woman walked up to the men. She was short, wore thick glasses, and carried a cane.

"Excuse me gentlemen, but could either of you tell me when the last train to Sigatonia leaves? All of the schedules for the area were taken."

"I'm sorry miss," Kurapika replied, "but I don't know when the train leaves."

"Oh." The old woman said, as her face turned from one of optimism into one of pessimism. Just as the woman was about to leave the two, Kuroro called her back.

"Wait miss," he cried. "I think I know when it leaves. I'm pretty sure that the last train to Sigatonia will leave at 11:30 tonight." The woman smiled at the young man and thanked him as she walked away.

Kurapika on the other hand, had widened eyes from the second that Kuroro stated that he knew when the train left by memory. _Could it be that he's already starting to get his memories back? _

"Kuroro, how did you know when that train was going to leave?" Kuroro himself was equally confused as to how he knew such a small detail.

"I think I remember traveling there late one night. I guess it was before we met, because I don't remember you there, although I remember talking to a few people. What do you know; I'm starting to remember things. It may not be something big, but its baby steps."

"That's good to hear." Wanting to get off the topic of Kuroro Lucifer's memories, Kurapika pointed out a bookstore, saying that he's going to pick out a book for the train ride. He needed something to distract himself throughout the train ride. If not, Kuroro would continue with his barrage of questions, which was the last thing that Kurapika wanted.

While at the bookstore, Kurapika picked out a personal favorite of his. Seeing the Kurata's reaction to finding the book, Kuroro decided to take a chance and look at the book as well.

"I don't suppose you remember reading the book before?" Kurapika jokingly asked.

"No, but you smiled when you saw the book, so I assume that it must be good. You look intelligent, like someone who would have good judgement when it came to books." Kurapika couldn't help but smile at that last comment that he made.

"Keep in mind, this isn't a very happy book, and it's a little hard reading the first time around."

"I'm willing to take that chance."

Kurapika bought the matching set of books, and the two headed to their train.

When they first boarded the train, the train quickly became packed, forcing them to sit in very close proximity to each other. But, as the train emptied, more room became available for their use. Over the course of the train ride, the two silently read their books. Kuroro asked an occasional question concerning the book to the blond, as he was more familiar with the book. He tried to reframe from asking questions about his past, feeling that Kurapika had answered enough for the day.

However, Kuroro did ask one as he was nearing the middle of the book.

"What type of thinker was I?"

Caught off guard at the question, as well as not understanding the question itself, Kurapika replied, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, was I a narrow minded thinker, a broad type of thinker. What did I focus on and pay attention to when I was working on something or examining it?"

Taking a moment to ponder the question, Kurapika responded, "Well, you paid close attention to details. You believed strongly in your ideas, but not above listening to the ideas of others or stubborn. Your thoughts were very collected, not brash. I did however, find some of your beliefs questionable at times. Does that answer your question?"

"Yea, that was really detailed. I didn't know I was such a big thinker." Now Kuroro wanted to learn more. He wanted to know his thoughts on politics, nature, and science. But probably most importantly, he wanted to know about the "questionable beliefs" that Kurapika had mentioned. But he wasn't going to ask now. He didn't want to bother the only companion he had, something he feared that he was doing. _It can wait until tomorrow._

The train ride lasted four hours, which made it no surprise that when they finally arrived in Ninsaino, they were both exhausted. As soon as they arrived, they went to find a hotel. Upon going up to their room, they got into their beds, and went to sleep after a long day.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Kurapika woke up first. He had spent the first few minutes of the day looking out his window, which was luckily closer to his bed than Kuroro's. He observed the sun shine over the town, as villagers got ready to get to their daily work. The town, he could tell, was closely bounded. The people there knew and cared for each other, a huge contrast to the unfeeling and broken up mood of York Shin City. Kurapika smiled, seeing that this was a truly nice town and that he was in for a relaxing day.

Once Kuroro had woken up, the two had planned their day. The two had resolved that, just as Kurapika had promised the day before, they were going to go around the town's shops and buy Kuroro a set of clothing to replace his stolen ones. _That's at least what Kuroro believes, _Kurapika thought.

While waiting for his traveling companion to finish changing outfits, Kuroro finished the book he had started last night. Truly, as Kurapika said, it was a good book. While not exactly a pick-me-up nor a simple book, he genuinely enjoyed it. The story was deep and anything but boring. Truly, Kurpika had great taste in books, matching his own.

After being treated to a continental breakfast courtesy of the hotel, the two began to walk into town. On the way there, Kuroro had started to once again, start asking questions, his pen and notepad in hand. He turned to the last page that he had written in the notepad, looking at a fairly recently added question.

"So Kurapika, last night you said that we disagreed on some things having to do with our beliefs. What **exactly **did we disagree on?" With the blond taking a moment to mull over his question, Kuroro wondered what he would ever have to disagree on with his friend. To him, Kurapika looked like a smart and morally sound person. He truly doubted that the Kurata had any thoughts that drastically differed from those of his own. Surely, he believed, their similar interests in books had been an indication of that. Just then, Kurapika enunciated his response.

"Well, we were often at odds end about political issues. For example, you believed in the practice of the death penalty while I didn't."

Kuroro was caught completely off guard. Of all of the things that he could possibly disagree with the Kurata on, he did not expect it to be the death penalty. Furthermore, he didn't even agree with his former self. He despised the idea of taking another person's life.

"It's strange," Kuroro said, his eyes looking toward the ground. "I never expected us to dispute on something like **that**. **I **don't even like the idea of the death penalty. Taking a life is awful. I see no good reason for it unless acting as a last resort." Kurapika had never thought that Kuroro would have responded in such a way that he did. He assumed that desperate to find out and become the type of person that he was, Kuroro would have merely accepted the beliefs of his old self as he had with everything that Kurapika told him, even going as far as to defend those beliefs. Instead, Kuroro saw the problems of his old way of thinking, and furthermore, he openly protested it. This impressed the younger boy. He didn't know why. The old Kuroro Lucifer had been known to judge things in a non-biased fashion, so it shouldn't surprise him that he held the trait despite having amnesia.

When they arrived at the market area, Kuroro and Kurapika agreed to split up. Kuapika gave the older boy 1000 zeni to buy clothing, a backpack, and whatever else he needed. They agreed on both a spot and a time to meet up at. Meanwhile, Kurapika took an opportunity to celebrate the longest time that he had spent away from his enemy in days. He felt the freedom from the claustrophobia that Kuroro was imposing on him. Kuroro was clinging to him like a lost puppy, not letting Kurapika out of his sight. While Kurapika could and did understand and sympathize with the man, his suffocation at Kuroro's unwilling hands had driven him to the point of no longer caring.

Also, while splitting up from Kuroro, Kurapika had bought some fresh food. He had planned on actually cooking tonight, not wanting to give Kuroro more opportunities to ask him more questions. Not to mention, this market had some of his favorite herbs and spices, in an abundant supply no less. After seeing Menchi come across and prepare gourmet food, a small sense of interest to imitate the act existed within the Kurata. Though wanting to train towards becoming a Blacklist Hunter, Kurapika had no way of preparing for it while accompanying his amnesiac target. At least this allowed for a chance to become a two-star Hunter.

When the two reunited, Kuroro was carrying a backpack loaded with fresh supplies and 430 zeni in change for Kurapika. However, Kurapika argued for Kuroro keeping the money, in case needing it. After much fighting with the Kurata, Kuroro finally accepted the money.

On the way back, Kuroro looked at Kurapika, mainly his arm which was carrying his bag of groceries.

"What did you buy?"

"Oh this," Kurapika asked while pointing to the bag. Kuroro nodded. "I saw some rare herbs and other stuff at the marketplace and I wanted to try my hand at a skill that I saw during my Hunter Exam."

"You took the Hunter Exam?" Kurapika nodded, shrugging it off. "How was it?"

"It was by no means an easy test. It challenged you at every turn, both physically and mentally. It was a combination of instincts, intuition, and endurance. Some people competing looked who I believed would pass the test with flying colors ended up failing within the first few rounds. A truly unbelievable and unforgettable test, the Hunter Exam."

"Really?" Kuroro pondered the true meaning of the Hunter Exam. Kurapika explained to him that a Hunter is truly made by what he or she does after they got their license, not before. Confused by what Kurapika said, Kuroro asked him to elaborate. He used the example of how on the year of his exam, some people got their licenses unfairly, but soon resolved that should now focus on doing what they could to achieve with their licenses, and not live in the past.

For dinner, Kurapika prepared a soup using the herbs at the market and boiled tarantula eggs. Though Kuroro was originally caught off guard by the meal's strangeness, he quickly realized as he ate the meal's true taste that is was one the most delectable things he's ever eaten. Even though he had a limited memory of what he had eaten before the accident, he somehow had a feeling that he had never tasted anything quite like this.

That night, the two laid in their bed, watching TV and chatting about Kuroro's now completed book. Kurapika admitted to himself that he could relax and enjoy himself around Kuroro. This Kuroro cared about his life and was yearning for knowledge. \

Kurapika just wondered if that same yearning would be the kind to get him into trouble.


	5. Chapter 5

"Kurapika!" a familiar voice yelled. "Get out of here! Escape with your life quickly!" The voice was that of his father's. His father had tried to runaway from the massacre, but ended up getting caught by one of the Genei Ryodan. Kurapika couldn't bear to just stand by as his father was murdered and his eyes were taken. But he knew that there was nothing that he could really do. As a mere teenager, having too little experience to fighting, he would just be committing suicide by attempting to do anything. His skills were mediocre compared to that of the older men of his tribe. If they couldn't successfully attack and defend themselves, then he most certainly didn't stand a chance.

All he could do was run and hope that somehow, his father could fight back and survive. Meanwhile, he needed to head to the outskirts of his tribe's settlement. The forest outside of the settlement was dense. It would be nearly impossible to find one boy in the dark of the forest.

As he ran through the tribe's settlement, screams of terror flowed through his ears. Dead bodies fell to the ground, fire everywhere. Kurapika saw his childhood being taken from him first hand, and in the most brutal way possible.

The boy suddenly stopped from his frantic running. In the midst of a burning home, a dark figure was glowing through the fire's bright blaze. He was tall and slender, wearing a black coat with fur trimmings on it. His hair was short and a tattoo of a cross was clearly visible on his forehead. He showed no signs of anger, hatred, or any desire of revenge. In fact, he displayed no emotions whatsoever. The figure glared at Kurapika, adoring the fear in his blood red eyes. With no hesitation, Kurapika continued his dash out of his home, trying to get as far away from the figure as possible.

However, the figure was hot in pursuit of the Kurata boy. He wanted his eyes. Kurapika tried to run as fast as he could, but tripped, just several yards from the forest. He tried to get up, but the figure had already successfully pinned him down. While chasing the Kurata, the figure's hair had fallen down. As he looked into his killer's eyes, he saw nothing. There was no soul, no hope, no remorse, and no anger. Just before the final blow was struck, Kurapika screamed.

* * *

Kurapika woke up gasping and sweating. His palms felt strange and his heart pumped faster than Netero san's reflexes. His eyes were red as crimson. It took him a minute to relax his body. He was angry. Angry and scared.

Kurapika remembered the man from his nightmare. He remembered the figure's face as he faced him. He remembered his hair, blocking the cross that symbolized his allegiance to the Genei Ryodan. He remembered his soulless eyes.

He knew the man, as he'd been perusing him for over 5 years in vengeance, and as of a few days ago, had been traveling with, forging as a friend. The man had lost his memories one fateful night due to a fatal mistake, leaving the Kurata to reluctantly take the task of taking care of him upon himself. The man was also the vain of Kurapika's existence. The man was none other than Kuroro Lucifer.

_Speak of the devil, _Kurapika thought as he searched the room from his bed for the other man. Kurapika's question was quickly answered by the sound of running water stopping. Kurapika was somewhat relieved to know that Kuroro showered. He had not bathed since he lost his memory, days ago. Upon walking out of the bathroom, fully clothed, he spotted his roommate, greeting him accordingly.

"Good morning Kurapika. Did you sleep well?" Little did Kuroro know that though his salutation meant no harm, it was the worst thing that the man could've decided to do at the moment.

"Awful." He quickly and coldly muttered.

"Oh. How come? Was the mattress lumpy," the naïve amnesiac asked. He asked with genuine concern, the very same kind that he got from Gon, Leorio, and Killua. However, when Kuroro was substituted for his friends in said kindness, it was enough to make Kurapika cringe.

"Of course it wasn't something as ridiculous as a mattress!" The Kurata felt his voice growing in intensity with each word he spoke, though he still managed to keep it relatively low.

"Are you feeling ok Kurapika?"

"Of course I'm not feeling okay! I'm being haunted, and I can't fight back. Visions of suffering are running through my mind, suffering that I'm constantly enduring! I need some time alone!" With that, Kurapika headed out the door of their hotel room, leaving Kuroro alone.

Kuroro had sat down on his bed. _Kurapika probably meant me by suffering. This amnesia thing must be hard on him. I can see why it would be even harder on him than me. He been basically forced to re-teach me everything about out our lives as well as support me. I at least know I'm in safe hands, but he has no one to help him, yet he keeps going. He's really brave. _He picked up a magazine he found in a hotel desk and started to read. For now, all he could do was wait there and pray that his friend returns.

Kurapika then blinked as he walked outside the hotel, his breathing hard. _What have I just done? _He had just replied to Kuroro's questions as if he remembered their shared animosity. _But that wasn't the old Kuroro Lucifer. _He knew that the part of his nightmare induced with Kuroro Lucifer was fake, and he knew that looking back, he could have taken his anger out better than he had just did. Kurapika wan genuinely sorry. He wanted to go back in time. He wanted to stop himself from saying those horrible things. In this state, Kuroro did not deserve the Kurata boy's yelling. Kuroro was probably in their room, thinking that it was his own fault for Kurapika's meltdown. After about an hour of repenting for his dumb mistake, Kurapika decided that it was best now to go back and apologize to him.

* * *

Kuroro listened very closely, begging internally that the sound of a door opening would come. He was starting to get worried. However, the sound Kuroro anticipated finally came.

Kurapika came in to see that Kuroro was sitting on the windowsill, looking out the window. Kurapika could easily tell that the man was terrified to look at him. Kurapika figured that it was best to get his apology out of the way now. He wanted to fix the mess he made and clear his conscience to at least some degree.

"Kuroro, I'm sorry for what I said. I was having a bad night and I took out my anger on you. But it's not your fault. You didn't do anything." Kuroro turned to face Kurapika, whose head was looking at the floor right now.

"No Kurapika. I'm sorry. This hasn't been easy on you lately. I sometimes forget that you've had to adapt to something very unfamiliar since I got amnesia. You're very strong for it. But I don't want to hold you back anymore."

"What do you mean Kuroro?" Kurapika looked at him and knew exactly what he meant. "I'm not leaving you. I'm going to stay."

"Thank you." No longer holding hostility in either of their hearts, the two went on with their day. Kuroro didn't ask questions all day. It took until the late afternoon when they became comfortable around each other again.

At dinner, Kuroro made a shocking announcement.

"Kurapika, I want to look for a job."

"If this is about money, than it's not a problem" Kurapika saved up enough money to keep himself and Kuroro taken care of for about 6 months, accounting for the cost of hotel rooms.

"Yes, but I want to get some work experience under my belt, just in case _this_" Kuroro said pointing to his brain, obviously talking about his condition, "doesn't end." Kurapika would not argue with the other man. He had learned from experience that it never worked out in his favor. Still, Kurapika figured that it wouldn't be a bad idea for both of them to start working.

"Very well, but I'm going to work as well, if you don't mind."

"I have no objection." Truthfully, he was very glad that he wouldn't be working alone.

"Let's look for jobs tomorrow."

"Very well." The rest of the evening basically played out as the previous one did, with the two of them talking casually and watching TV. Both were relaxed and comfortable. Kurapika didn't mind Kuroro's company and Kuroro was exceptionally happy to still have the Kurata in his company.

* * *

The next day, the duo headed into the Ninsaino marketplace, armed with open optimism of finding employment. They went to every store they could find, but to no avail. Not a single shopkeeper wanted new employees. Some were even rude to the two upon hearing their request to join their community in the form of employment.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Kurapika.

The town didn't want them.

This town had survived on being completely independent and isolated from all other parts of the world. They had enough people and would not tolerate bringing anyone else in. That's how they maintained their peaceful status. The people lived together and formed a family-like bond. They didn't want anyone there unless they were onlookers of their peace, and praised the love that the village shared for itself. They were wanted as nothing more than visitors. They would never be welcomed into a town like this.

By the end of the day, both Kurapika and Kuroro held feelings of alienation. As far as both knew, except each other, both were outsiders. They knew that they'd never get jobs staying here. They conspired together that evening. They would leave Ninsaino tomorrow morning and head to another town, in pursuit of jobs. Until then, they turned to each other for comfort in the now cold and unwelcoming city that lied before them.


End file.
